Loudwire Podcast #22 – Suffocation’s Terrance Hobbs + Derek Boyer

There's no rest for the wicked as they say and before night fell on New York City on Memorial Day when Morbid Angel, Suffocation, Revocation and Withered came to town, we had the opportunity to sit down with the two centerpieces of Suffocation -- guitarist Terrance Hobbs and bassist Derek Boyer.

With the band's newest album, ...Of the Dark Light, on the way, there was plenty to discuss, especially with three new members who had not appeared on Suffocation's previous album, Pinnacle of Bedlam. Yes, Frank Mullen laid down the vocals on this new one with some help from new frontman Kevin Muller, but as everyone knows, Frank the Tank is unable to hit the road, which we dove into as well in addition to what it's like getting the other new kids, Kevin Morotti (drums) and Charlie Errigo (guitars), acclimated to one of the tightest live acts in existence.

Since Suffocation broke new ground in the early death metal scene, pioneering both the brutal and technical aspects as the genre has splintered into countless subdivisions, the world is now saturated with elite level musicians. So, is this what led Hobbs to say that the band had to step up their game with new material?

And how about Kevin Talley? What happened to him? The drumming wonder spent "a minute" in Suffocation as Hobbs stated (2013-2016 in actuality) and was arguably pulling off the best work of his career, but his dedication to being a studio drummer began to complicate matters. You'll have to listen to find out exactly what went down there.

As usual, we entertained some nerdy debate as fans, discussing the heaviest live band of all time. Of course, Suffocation are the single heaviest group out there, so we barred them from the conversation, moving forward and examining some other metal bands who have explored the sonic depths. Who did Terrance pick? Who did Derek pick? Who did we pick? We think you know by this point that we're not going to give away these things without you listening!

So tune in above to get more information on the internal workings of Suffocation and the lyrical themes of the new album, ...Of the Dark Light (pre-orders here) out June 9 on Nuclear Blast. See photos and our review of the show that took place after the podcast and get the rest of Suffocation's tour dates on their Facebook page.

See Suffocation in the Best Death Metal Album of Each Year Since 1985